Two Concepts For Understanding the Gospels

It doesn’t take much imagination to see that the world is not as it should be.  All around us we see broken relationships, abuse of power and privilege, destruction of the natural world, and all-out chaos. People may disagree on a myriad of subjects, but deep inside most of us sense that there are certain basic principles that would lead us out of the chaos were we all to embrace them.

Shalom is the opposite of chaos.

 Shalom is a Hebrew word that means “peace,” but the word has a much deeper meaning than just the absence of stress or conflict. Shalom is the idea that all things are whole and right. Shalom is the state of being where rightness, justice and well-being reign equally for everyone. Shalom is God’s original intention for people and the world.

 In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God not as a physical place but as a state of being. According to Jesus, God’s Kingdom is accessible and near.

The Kingdom of God is the realm where
God’s shalom prevails.

 When Jesus entered our world, the Kingdom of God came with him, because Jesus embodied the Kingdom and spread shalom wherever he went.  Jesus ushered in a new Kingdom age in which lay the possibility of restoration for our relationship with God, with each other and with the world around us. Jesus made it possible for us to become the people God intended us to be.

Jesus calls his followers to live lives of shalom and spread shalom to the world as his representatives, and that would be an impossible task if it weren’t for the fact that Jesus’ Spirit empowers his followers to carry out his mission.  Only God can bring about the Kingdom, but God allows us to be part of Jesus’ work here on earth. We get to plant Kingdom seeds of shalom knowing that we are working with the One who has the power to make things grow far beyond anything we can imagine.

 You were made for more. Come and see!

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